During the week of 13 to 20 September 2026, public universities emerged as a new flashpoint in the national debate on security and social protest. President Abelardo de la Espriella announced the drafting of a national protocol to regulate police entry onto campuses in the event of violence, vandalism or extraordinary disturbances of public order, accompanied by statements describing universities as potential “sanctuaries of violence”.
Although the Government maintained that the measure aims to protect peaceful protest and to act only in response to acts of violence, university vice-chancellors, student organisations and various academic sectors expressed concern about the stigmatising effect of the official narrative on university autonomy and the student movement. In contrast, during the same week, the Bogotá District Government Secretariat maintained a system of support for the demonstrations, using Social Dialogue and Human Rights teams to facilitate the exercise of the right to peaceful protest.
Three significant developments took place during the week. Firstly, the Government announced that it would draw up a national protocol to set out the conditions under which the police may take action on public university campuses in the event of acts of violence or breaches of public order. Secondly, university vice-chancellors, student organisations and academic circles expressed concern about the impact of the official narrative on university autonomy and the climate for student participation. Thirdly, at the same time, Bogotá continued to implement a scheme to provide institutional support for demonstrations through Social Dialogue and Human Rights coordinators, including demonstrations involving university students, with the aim of facilitating the exercise of peaceful protest and promoting social harmony.
Aumenta la estigmatización de las universidades públicas en el debate sobre la seguridad y las protestas sociales